Jordanian king says he is seeking to restart Mideast talks

King Abdullah of Jordan said Tuesday in Berlin he is seeking to get the Palestinians and Israeli back into peace talks, but is very concerned at Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem, dpa reported.

"It is in the vested interest of Jordan and Germany to see that the Israelis and Palestinians come back to the peace table," he said in Berlin after talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel at her office.

"We will be working under the European coordination to see how we can achieve that," said Abdullah, who had hosted a visit to Amman the previous day by Israeli President Shimon Peres. Last week the king flew to the West Bank to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

"We are very concerned about the settlement activity that we see in East Jerusalem," the king added. He said it was "crucial" that Israel let through blocked western aid "to build infrastructure and improve the economy" in the Palestinian territories.

"We hope that the Israelis will look at releasing funding in an area that will have a direct impact on schools and hospitals, meeting the vital needs of the Palestinian people," he said, without giving details of the flurry of behind-the-scenes negotiations this week.

"From my perspective, we are very troubled that the peace negotiations are not advancing at all and we see here a major problem in the overall situation," said Merkel.

"Germany, and I think I can say the same for Jordan too, will do everything it can so that whatever progress possible is achieved and so the situation does not become even more acute."

The king spent the day meeting senior Berlin officials and welcomed the work of German institutions that are encouraging democracy in Jordan.